Photographic memory
by Tranquil Forest
Summary: A series of drabbles for all those times you took out that old photo album from the back of your closet and just let the emotions wash over you. AoshiXMisao
1. Traditions

**Traditions**

It had become a tradition.

_Their _tradition to be precise. He didn't really know when it had started, only that every Thursday evening for the past year he would find himself sitting in her bed with his back pressed up against the wall and a book in hand with her lying on her stomach beside him quietly –sometimes not so much- cursing that week's math homework.

He didn't actually do much while he was there – having already completed the course two years ago- and instead used the more or less silent hours to catch up on some book he rarely got around to read otherwise, or he simply spent his time looking over her shoulder –although she hated it when he did that. Then again that had been part of the deal. '_To be moral support_' as she had put it when she had reeled him into whole 'study partner' idea.

Sometimes he wondered if it was one of her less innocent plans to get to know him, only to come to the same conclusion; that he didn't care. He was sure that even without these Thursday meetings she would have managed to draw him to her, much in the same way as a moth seeks the light, whether he had willingly chosen to follow or not. Really, he was doomed from the start.

A low growl and the clatter of a pencil being thrown halfway across the room disturbed him from his reading. Placing a long fine finger where his eyes previously scanned the page he calmly turned his attention to the fuming young woman to his right.

"Problem?" He asked, already knowing the answer.

"I hate algebra!" With enough force to cause the entire bed structure to wobble, Misao jerked around to face him; her entire posture radiating frustration. In his minds eye he imagined her long raven braid rattling with displeasure. He, however, kept that thought to himself.

"May I have a look?" He said instead, jutting his chin at her work.

She all but shoved her haphazardly scribbled notes and paperback at him. This time he fully released his own book and placed it on the other side of him before accepting her 'offering'. After leafing through the messy pages it only took him seconds to solve the offending problem.

"Okay here's what you do," he began to explain, angling the paper for her to see as she scooted closer to him. "The x represents the cost, while this ten here stands for the amount…."But he could already tell from her vacant expression that she hadn't grasped a single word he said.

"That's it, I'm dropping this course!" Misao wailed miserably, burying her face within the soft feel of the pillow. Perhaps she could suffocate herself and miraculously the life draining assignment would be out of her way. Hmm, not a half bad idea.

"You said that last week as well," Aoshi evenly reminded her, one fine brow slightly raised.

"But I really mean it this time!" She protested, head shooting up from the pillow.

Aoshi sighed, putting her homework aside. "Misao you've got less than two months left of this class, to stop now would be foolish."

"Just because we sleep together doesn't mean you get to lecture me!" She lashed out, a slender finger pointed threateningly at his impassive appearance.

"Misao."

"Aoshi."

He shrugged. "Fine, then I guess you won't be needing my assistance anymore." And with that he grabbed his novel and rose from the single bed.

Suddenly realizing what he was implying she practically flew out of bed. "Wait I've still got history to study for, or- or I could write that essay for English." She grasped desperately for an excuse, her fingers playing nervously with the end of her braid.

"Nice try Misao." He gave her a lopsided smirk and reached out for the doorknob.

"B-but!"

He let his hand fall back to his side and turned around. Misao looked relieved. "I'll strike a deal with you; either you complete the course and I'll still meet up with you every Thursday after dinner. Or we end these sessions right now and hopefully we'll get to meet sometime in the corridor between classes; if we're lucky. It's your call." Not that the threat was necessarily true, but she didn't need to know that. The pleased expression was replaced with one of horror. Good, then he'd gotten her attention.

"Mou Aoshi," she pleaded, but managed to gain no sympathy points from the stoic man. Huffing in indignation, she admitted defeat. "Okay, I'll do it."

Aoshi nodded approvingly and walked further into the small room. "Should we get down to business then?"

Dejectedly Misao fell back onto the soft mattress with its deep purple comforter. "I hate it when you do that," she grumbled, looking glumly over at him.

"One day you'll thank me," he said and returned to his original place beside her, picking up the previously discarded study material.

Groaning she rolled over, the sound muffled by the blankets. "I know."

Aoshi let a small triumphant smile grace his normally straight lips. It looked like he once again successfully had managed to uphold the tradition for another week.

**Author's notes:** Well I'm back. This time with something different as I suppose you've already realized. To those who believe I should burn in hell I apologize, but I've been thinking about doing an AU fic for some time now and after reading quite a few RK drabbles by Veles and Ravyn I simply couldn't hold back any longer. Once again I do realize that I'm not the first to write these kind of fics.

I will probably regret this in the future but this is also my first attempt at doing more than simply a one-shot. Okay so it's a bunch of them strung together, but anyway.

And for those of you who don't wish to skin me alive it would be very much appreciated if you let me know your thoughts on this.

Until then, have a pleasant stay on earth.

/Tranquil Forest


	2. Celebrations

**Celebrations**

"_Another year gone and still I'm sitting in the same room, in the same chair and probably with the same brand of beer as last time,_" Aoshi mused as he set his alcoholic beverage – that was really more for show than anything else - on the coffee table in front of him and with a steady gaze watched the people that once again had gathered to celebrate the twentieth birthday of one Kamaiya Kaoru.

The birthday girl in question was standing by the drink table -which under normal circumstances would have been her and Misao's desk- more than a little tipsy, trying to mix a new round of margaritas, while Kenshin followed her every move; making sure that his newly appointed fiancé wasn't doing anything she'd regret in the morning. To no one's surprise Sano and Megumi were bickering in one of the corners of the room, most likely over something trivial that some alcohol and a good tumble would be able to cure.

To most people this date was only one of many in the calendar. But for Aoshi and Misao it held a much more momentous meaning.

Today marked the anniversary of their first meeting. Back then he only knew her as the boisterous friend of Himura's girlfriend. At present she was Makimachi Misao; best friend and lover.

He can still recall how he, the stone faced hermit, observed her, the social butterfly, as she - much like now – was having a lively discussion with Kaoru's younger brother, Yahiko, while at the same time lining up glasses for her customary drinking contest with Sano. He believes the score was about even after the last time. Not that he was counting or anything.

He can't pinpoint what it was, but there was just something about her that night that had him intrigued. Just by looking at her his entire body screamed for him to pursue her. Shinomori Aoshi _never_ pursued. Not to say that he hadn't had a fair share of women in his life, most of them casual one night stands. He simply never felt the urge to invest more energy than need be, which said quite a deal about the few relationships he'd managed to maintain through the years. At the end of the night she was the one who came to him; he did have a reputation to uphold after all.

What she said to him he couldn't remember, but he must have responded positively, because the following weekend he found himself taking her out to dinner. A month later Misao's weekly visits had become part of their everyday life and it hadn't taken long before they were sharing a bed in more senses than one; much to the dismay of his roommate, and the further delight of the girls.

In the fall she had enrolled in the same college, her mind set on media, while he started off his third year focusing on business. However just because they went to the same college didn't necessarily mean they got to see more of each other. More often than not they were both swamped with compulsory reports and when things got particularly nasty they were fortunate if they even got a glimpse of each other during mealtimes. Then again the separation had its perks as it meant that they wouldn't constantly be in the other's face. Although he doubted he would ever see it that way. Misao certainly didn't and didn't hesitate to complain about the unwanted situation whenever they hadn't gotten together in the last twenty-four hours.

Really, she could be quite childish at times; on the other hand that was one of the things that had attracted her to him to begin with. How she could just let everything go without a care in the world for her appearance even though she was nearing nineteen and should have grown out of her rebellious adolescence years ago. Being the severe man he was it comforted him to know that his polar opposite stood by his side to fill in the cracks he had missed, as he in return did the same for her.

Shouts and cheers told him that the drinking game was on and he left his barely touched beer to observe the two individuals throwing shots down their throats like their life depended on it, or at least their pride. A minute later they called it a draw and Sano and Misao; both looking a bit bleary eyed, reached out to shake hands - well attempted to anyway.

Aoshi watched his girlfriend rise from the worn out couch and with surprising stability, considering her previous activities -not to mention those ankle-breaking high heels-, managed to walk her way over to him where he was sitting in an equally tattered loveseat. As if her stored up steadiness had suddenly run out she rather ungracefully plopped into his lap and wrapped her slim arms around his neck.

"Hey," she whispered in his ear.

"Hey," he mimicked, encircling her waist with his own arms.

She spotted his nearly full bottle. "Are you going to drink that?" she asked, gesturing at the beer. He shrugged and she took it as a sign for her to go ahead. Grabbing the bottle she took a rather large swig. She shuddered. "Kami, it tastes like shit," she grimaced before taking another gulp. He wasn't quite sure how that added up but he didn't question her. He'd learnt from experience that she had a habit of doing things that didn't really make any sense to anyone but her. Yet another of her little quirks that kept him bound to her.

Misao set the beer back on the table then leaned back into him to softly nibble at the shell of his ear. "Let's go back to your place. Sano's not getting any tonight and is gonna spend the rest of the night making up to Meg, and Himura will never let Kaoru stay alone in our room when she's shitfaced."

"Is that so?" He answered, his sultry voice lowering an octave, while he let one of his hands ghost over her naked thigh. One of these days he was going to have to tell her how much he appreciated these short dresses of hers.

She snuggled closer still, her pink lips remaining close to his ear. "I'll even do that thing with my tongue that you like so much." So what if it was some cheesy line out of a romance novel, it sounded good. At least in her mind.

Aoshi let out an amused breath and gave her forehead a light peck, knowing full well that by the time they reached his and Sano's room she'd be sound asleep. To humor her he played along and with a light shove he got her to stand up so that he could leave the comfort of the armchair himself, then took her hand and began leading her away. They said their goodbyes, with the girls promising that they would meet up the next day. Their respective significant others doubted that very much.

His assumptions were correct. Not even five minutes later she was within the security of his embrace as he walked down the two last corridors leading to his dormitory. Without too much difficulty he managed to unlock the door and remove the covers to gently place her in his bed. After freeing her feet from the black four inch stilettos he tenderly covered her petite form with the surprisingly colorful bedspread – all credit to Misao. Affectionately he placed a loose strand of raven hair behind her ear, his knuckles brushing against her soft cheek in the process. He looked longingly at the space beside her, but before he joined the braided beauty in sleep he had a task to do. In a near motherly fashion, that would have Sano on his ass in a laughing fit, he planted a large glass of water and two aspirin on his bedside table. Misao often joked that he would have become the perfect Boy Scout.

He stripped down to his boxers and with outmost precaution he crawled over her and into bed. With a content sigh he closed his steel blue eyes and inched closer to the warmth of her body.

And to no one but the night, Aoshi displayed one of his own traits as he protectively put his arm around her.

**Author's notes:** I think it goes without saying that constructive criticism would be very much appreciated.

Thanks!

/ Tranquil Forest


	3. Domestic

**Domestic**

It was disaster in its purest form. Forget World War 2 and Chernobyl, this was by far histories biggest tragedy. And she was the cause of it.

Not really sure what to feel at the moment Misao stared at her sorry excuse for a dinner. At one point it had been an attempt at Curry rice. Now it looked more like she imagined a newly destroyed Hiroshima had done - if she had lived at the time.

Why had she done this again? Oh right, it had been to celebrate Aoshi passing his latest test. However looking at the remains of the kitchenette it seemed more like a punishment. It would take years for it to be restored to its original state. Aoshi and Sano were going to kill her.

No wonder she and Kaoru had clicked so well; both their culinary skills sucked.

Why couldn't she just have taken him out to eat instead, or even sunk as low as to order take out? But no, she just _had _to try and be the perfect girlfriend –an act she knew she couldn't pull in a million years- and cook her hubby the perfect meal. There was a reason she was only a waitress at the Aoya, damn it!

Taking one last look at what she now believed to be toxic waste Misao exhaled mournfully, dragging herself to the sink to fetch a rag.

As if her situation wasn't dire enough her doom came earlier than expected as she suddenly heard the distinctive sound of the door being unlocked.

Run, hide! Protect the women and children! It's every man for himself!

The facial expressions Aoshi displayed as he took in the state of his usually clean home -well as clean as could be with Sano as a roommate- could be described as multi animated. Seeing her petrified form he raised a brow quizzically, that eventually transformed into a frown when he realizes why she was looking so temptingly at the window and the whole show ended with a look of impassiveness.

"You tried cooking didn't you." It wasn't a question it was a statement.

"Yes." Ding, ding, ding one million yen to the tall guy standing in the doorway!

There was a long -and in Misao's case very uncomfortable- silence. Oh Kami, she couldn't even bear to look at him now.

"Come on, I'll treat you to dinner."

Wait…

What?!

"Now?" She must've heard wrong. The exploding rice was probably still playing tricks on her ears. Yeah, that had got to be it, because there was no way in hell he just asked her out on a date after she had virtually demolished his living quarters.

"Is this a bad time for you?" His face had morphed back to the initial one with the cocked eyebrow.

"Well no, it's just…" She motioned unsurely in the direction of her homemade freak accident.

He glanced over where her hand was pointing only for a few seconds then he shrugged. "Let Sano clean it up."

"Are you serious?" She couldn't believe this. Could someone please press the rewind button?

Aoshi was already half way out the door when he answered her. "He owes me three hundred yen. Besides Megumi will thank you."

"Uh, Okay." Misao just knew there would be a catch to this -probably during some less than appropriate time- but she didn't push her luck. After nearly a year invested into this relationship she had come to realize that you did not question Shinomori Aoshi. Unless you had the dire need to experience what it would be like to poke a sleeping dragon with a toothache. She wondered what happened to those lechers at the bar a few months ago.

Oh well, at least Sano would be the only one after her hide this time.

**Author's notes:** I've said it before and I'll say it again. Review please! irresistible cute face (You know what I mean.)

/Tranquil Forest


	4. Reciprocal

**Reciprocal**

11.30 pm.

Twilight had long since passed and the moon had made its entrance on the starlit night sky. Chirping crickets where the only disturbance in the otherwise silent hours of darkness. Most people found themselves within the realm of peaceful slumber by this time of day; yet there were always exceptions.

Surrounded by crisp white sheets, her body pressed into the softness of the mattress by another, she found herself gazing up at a familiar ceiling. She wasn't entirely sure what had led them up to this point; then again did it really matter?

A few feet away she could make out her clothes were they lay in a pile, tangled with the garments that belonged to the man that currently preoccupied her senses. The only source of light in the room was the dull glow emitting from the steel grey bedside lamp. There was never complete darkness on their encounters. He didn't permit her to become swallowed within the comfort of the shadows. She once questioned him on this.

"_I don't want you to hide from me_." The way he had looked at her when he answered still ran a shiver down her spine.

Her breath hitched when she felt skilled fingers skim teasingly over her lower abdomen. Digging her nails into the soft skin of his back she was rewarded with a low hiss.

Remembering the first few times, she barely managed to contain her laughter. Back then she had been so naïve – she still is she mused. Looking back at it now she could honestly say that she had no idea what it was all about. He wasn't her first, but he might as well have been. _Being_ with Aoshi wasn't like anything she had experienced before. While she had had sex previous to that first time, she had never truly made love until he showed her how. To tell the truth she had been scared. At the time he had still been such a mystery to her and when she was presented with such a delicate part of him she nearly panicked for fear of not knowing how to handle it. A part of her believed that he had feared her to some extent as well.

It wasn't perfect; it never was with someone new. But it was special. For the first time someone took the time to know her; to really _know_ her. Together they discovered and eventually memorized each other like a map they now knew by heart. Still, a year later, there remained treasures buried, yet to be discovered; something they thrived in whenever they came together.

She could feel hot breath and moist lips trail up her sensitive neck and subconsciously closed her eyes at the feeling; only to be reprimanded with a bite to the shoulder. Slowly she let her emerald eyes reopen and was immediately met with intense cobalt.

She smiled softly, but wasn't disappointed when the gesture wasn't returned. His actions always told her what she needed to know. Her smile was replaced with his lips descending upon hers and she let her nimble fingers comb through his soft midnight strands. Sounds of the sheets rustling against their naked flesh and labored breathing were all blocked out as all conscious thought was poured into this one act.

"Misao…" he whispered; pleaded.

And she could do nothing but comply.

**Author's note:** Wow! Four chapters just like that. I think my brain is pretty close to self-destruct by now.

For you darling reviewers out there; don't hesitate to give me your opinions. I promise I won't bite . (Well hard not enough to draw blood anyway.)

See ya!

/Tranquil Forest


	5. Colorant

**Colorant**

He hated laundry nights.

Usually it would take a lot more to ruffle the feathers of Shinomori Aoshi, but when that time of the week came it always got under his skin and he would be irritable the entire day.

First of all you basically had to fight to get a scheduled time in the laundry room and as if that wasn't enough then there was always the fact that when you had finally managed to get your pile of dirty clothes down from the east wing's third floor to the bottom landing, you then had to sort through it all; mentally swearing over the fact that you didn't have a separate laundry basket for every damn color. And because you were a poor college student on a budget, you basically spent the rest of the night washing the small amount of garments you actually owned.

He really couldn't imagine what it was that had Himura practically jumping for joy over this particular house chore.

Fortunately tonight he wasn't left alone to suffer with a cheerful Kenshin contently humming to himself. After Megumi had complained about him wearing the same t-shirt for three days, Sano had been forced to drag himself down to the laundry room with the two other males.

"Oi, Shinomori, can I put my darker pile together with yours?" Sano called across the room, waving a black sock in the air.

"Forget it Sagara. Those socks aren't touching my things," Aoshi answered brusquely, shoving his own carefully sorted load into one of the unoccupied washing machines.

"What's the big deal? Your stuff is dirty too right?" the other man argued.

Aoshi didn't batt an eye. "Compared to yours, my clothes are decontaminated. I feel sorry for Megumi."

"Tch, fine." Sano scoffed and turned to their companion instead. "Kenshin?"

The redhead shook his head, his lips twitching slightly at the corners. "Sorry Sano, but I've already done my dark pile. Besides, I'll have to agree with Aoshi on this one."

"Don't any of you care for the environment? Do you understand how much energy will go to waste, slowly killing our planet? Is that really something you want on your conscience?" The brunette gestured dramatically; sock still in a tight grip.

Kenshin eyed him dryly. "We're not stupid Sano. We all know that you'll just dump sorting duty on whoever took pity on you."

"You," Sano glared, pointing his finger accusingly from one to the other, "suck!"

That was basically how the following hour was spent, until Sano eventually gave up and grumbling shoved his laundry into the nearest apparatus.

If Aoshi had been anything for showing emotions he would have cried in delight and danced across the room when his last round of washing was done. But the elation was short-lived. From the contents of the washing machine he drew what had previously been white sheets that now sported the color light pink. With a sense of dread filling him; Aoishi hastily withdrew the rest of the load. Dumping it into the plastic basked he began rummaging through the damp textiles. The two other males watched as he two minutes later located and extracted the culprit.

"Whoo, Ice Man!" Sano whistled slyly. "Didn't know you had a thing for cross-dressing." He then broke down, howling with laughter. Aoshi closed his eyes and slowly counted to ten. When he opened them again he stared deadpan at the pair of bright red laced thongs pinched between his thumb and forefinger. Warily he recalled taking off the very same garment from his girlfriend a few days ago. Misao would be thrilled that he had managed to find her missing underwear.

"Now that is what I call karma," Sano grinned, wiping the beginning of tears from the corner of his dark brown eyes. Kenshin wisely kept his mouth shut, sliding glances between the two of them.

"Oh wait till I tell Kamatari," the spiky haired man snickered, only to seconds later burst into another laughing fit.

That did it. He was going to strangle the damn rooster; and he was going to do it with his newly dyed sheets.

**Author's notes:** This little piece of work is dedicated to my only reviewer (I wish it had been signed so I could reply); you made my day.

To those who have taken their time to read my stuff; thank you as well.

I suppose some of you might think Kenshin was a bit OC, then again this is an AU story and therefore he doesn't have a hundred something lives to repent for. Not to say that I don't like the original Kenshin, I'm just afraid he'll appear like a real wimp if I try to make him appear like he does in the manga without all the fights to toughen him up.

/Tranquil Forest


	6. Disputes

**Disputes**

Kamatari had barely had time to enter his dorm and relax in the room's only armchair when the youngest member of the Makimachi bloodline barged in, disturbing the tranquil atmosphere. Wondering what could possibly have upset Misao this time he mentally prepared for a long session of ranting. With practiced ease he hastily removed his late grandmother's vase to a safer location than its compromising position on the small cabinet beside him. Meanwhile the braided bundle of fury had begun her tirade.

Kamatari was lost after thirty seconds.

"I keep telling him that there's nothing to worry about, but does he listen? No! It's always Misao don't do this, don't do that! I'm going to wring his neck. No, wait, I'll-"

"Woah, woah, slow down girl. All I hear is white noise. Now take a deep breath and start over; slowly this time," Kamatari spoke evenly, once again sitting comfortably in the loveseat.

Inhaling soundly Misao closed her eyes and when she opened them again some of the flames had dulled in the sea foam colored irises. "Okay, so I've scarcely seen my boyfriend for a whole week and we were going to meet up yesterday to finally spend some alone time with each other. But because that greasy bastard, Saito, decided to spring a surprise exam on them and Aoshi being Aoshi feels the need to study until sunrise, he cancels our date, because heaven forbid that he scores one point from full pot; which is impossible to get in that prick's class anyway." It was no secret that history professor, Saito Hajime, took great pleasure in torturing his students with unexpected assignments; just to make sure that they were paying attention in class. Any protests were met with the same statement; '_Studying was for idiots and weaklings'_.

"So you're angry because your hunk decided he'd rather read about old geezers than get laid?" Kamatari frowned slightly, trying to piece things together.

"No! yes…maybe. But that's not the main reason!" Misao stressed.

"And what is?"

"I'm getting there!" She glared dangerously. "Anyway, feeling downright miserable I go to drain my sorrows at the Shirobeko. But drinking alone is way too emo, so I call Kaoru to share my misery with her."

"Oh how are things going with her and that gorgeous fiancé of hers?" Kamitari smiled pleasantly, momentarily cutting her off track.

Misao narrowed her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "Watch it Tari, Himura is a very committed man, not to mention Kaoru would kill you."

The gorgeous male waved her off. "Come on now Misao darling, you know I would never do something like that to Kaoru-chan. But you can't blame a guy for fantasizing." He winked impishly at her.

She grimaced. "Okay stop right there, despite belief, Himura is all male. Trust me I've seen the proof." She shuddered slightly, recalling last years 'shower incident'. It also confirmed the redhead's hair color was indeed natural.

"_Double eew!_"

"Your point?" Kamatari looked at her innocently, glossed lips formed in a questioning pout.

Misao covered her eyes and muttered. "Never mind."

"So you talked to Kaoru," he said, returning to their initial topic.

"Right," she nodded, collecting herself to tell the rest of the story. "Well eventually my battery died and there are only so many wandering hands a woman can smack away, so I decide it is about time to head back. And this is when Kami-sama decided to smite me." There was a dramatic silence. "I've barely reached my room when that stupid, obsessive-"

"Temper honey, temper," he warned in a sing song voice, inspecting his perfectly manicured nails.

Slanting her eyes at him as he absentmindedly started working at the tips of his flipped out shoulder length hair, Misao cleared her throat irritably. "Sorry I mean my _charming _and _huggable_ boyfriend comes at me like a raging bull and accuses me of 'irresponsible behavior'!"

Kamatari let his hand fall back into his jean clad lap. "Sweetie, however tempting the image of a worked up Aoshi seems; both you and I know that he would never commit himself to that raging bull thing."

Misao was practically breathing fire when she turned upon him. "Kamatari I'm doing the telling! If I say Aoshi was a raging bull, he was a raging bull!"

"Yes, yes, please continue."

"No more interruptions?"

"No interruptions."

"Promise?" She eyed him critically, obviously not entirely convinced.

"On my love for men I swear," Kamatari voiced dully, raising his hand in the air.

His answer seemed to have pleased her enough, as she calmed down somewhat. "Where was I…? Oh right, he blames me for being reckless. Hello, how was I supposed to know that he was going to call and apologize at the exact same time my phone had a blackout? Besides, I never asked him to turn the entire campus upside down to search for me. I told him he was being an overprotective jerk and, well, I think you get how it went from there."

He tilted his head slightly gazing wonderingly up at her. "It's sweet of him to be worried, don't you think? Really Misao, you have one of the planets finest specimen at your beck and call, I can't see what there is to complain about."

"You're completely missing the point!" Misao snapped hotly.

"I know Mi-chan, I'm only joking."

"Well don't, I have serious issues here. My boyfriend is trying to act like my dad; do you know how disturbing that mental image is?" She scowled.

Kamatari shrugged. "So kiss and make up. You know what they say about make up sex."

"And how exactly will that solve my problem?" She wasn't entirely sure what to make of the mischievous expression he was giving her.

"Trust me dear, if I lend you my newest set of lingerie, all future troubles you may have will be forever gone. Not that it will look as good on you as it does on me bu-ut…" the transsexual trailed off.

"Oh Kami, you are so gay," Misao grumbled.

"You know it," her friend beamed.

Before the young woman could make any further comments a familiar ringtone began playing from the confines of her pocket. Even the name on the display was one she had come to know very well.

"It's him isn't it?" She bit her lip uneasily and bobbed her head. "Well what are you waiting for? Answer," he urged, looking pointedly at the still beeping device in her clenched hand.

"Thank you Tari," Misao whispered, capturing him in a tight hug.

"Anytime hun," he smiled friendly, pecking her lightly on the cheek. "Now go, shoo, before Goth boy starts making assumptions again." He waved her out the door.

"_Kamitari, the love doctor strikes again_," he grinned to himself, leaning against the door. Whistling merrily he went over to the single hot plate to reward himself with some freshly brewed tea.

Besides he just remembered he had an important phone call to make himself.


	7. Scorned

**Scorned**

Today was one of those days you could only read about in the books. The sun was shining, birds tweeted happily from the tree branches and there was a faint breeze in the early summer afternoon. But instead of enjoying it all Misao was stuck inside in a not nearly as pleasant place.

She shot the other occupant in the room a dark glare. Saito didn't notice, or he simply didn't care, and continued grading papers; cigarette protruding from the corner of his thin lips. Misao was pretty sure she had become a high risk patient to lung cancer during the time she had spent cooped up with him. To think that someone had married, let alone bred with him.

It was just her luck that Saito turned out to be the professor assigned to watch over that day's Japanese exam.

Okay, so maybe she should have realized that the large study hall would echo her voice when she attempted to quietly call him a 'stuck up dick'. But really detention; wasn't that a bit too high school? Could you even give detention in college?

When she had entered the office a couple hours ago, to carry out her sentence, she discovered that the grouchy professor had either covered or completely removed any clock in the room. Before she could utter a single word she had been ordered to stay silent and sit down in a wooden and very painful looking chair in one of the corners. Even through the chair was practically making her entire body numb it gave her plenty of time to plot her revenge.

It would be risky, because despite having so many students against him, Saito always managed to sniff out the perpetrator. It was quite unnerving actually, but that didn't deter Misao from her scheming.

Her line of thought was broken when she heard Saito put his pen down to check his wristwatch. "Time's up. Do you regret your actions?" he fixed her with his trademark sharp stare through a thick cloud of smoke.

She had a vision of herself standing up on the uncomfortable chair, throwing a fist in the air, victoriously shouting 'Never!', but she really didn't think the act would be worth spending two more hours in silence. Instead she shrugged indifferently and stared out the large window. "I guess."

"Then get out of my office."

More than happy to comply, Misao grabbed her bag and sauntered out of the smoke filled room. For the first time in what felt like days she looked at one of the large hallway timepieces. Only ten minutes remained of dinner in the common dining hall. That conniving ogre had nearly made her miss a meal!

Oh it was on!

She met up with the rest of the group as they made their way out of the mess hall.

"Hey weasel, where have you been sneaking around?" Sano greeted her in his usual blunt way. Misao growled dangerously and was about to smack him when Megumi did the job for her. "Hey Kitsune! What the hell was that for?" He scowled rubbing the sore spot on the back of his head. For being a sophisticated woman she sure knew how to throw a punch. He supposed he should blame himself for forcing her to learn some form of self-defense.

"Shut up Sano," Megumi answered shortly.

"Misao, are you alright?" Kaoru frowned worriedly at her friend that had now developed a faint eye twitch.

"Saito," was the only word Misao managed to ground out.

"You haven't eaten have you? Misao if you want to I'm sure Kenshin can cook something for you," Kaoru said, laying her hand on said persons arm.

Kenshin lightly cocked an eyebrow. "I can?" Seeing his girlfriends look and feeling the grip on his arm tighten, there was no room left for argument. "Yes I suppose I can," he said wryly.

Aoshi, who had yet to say anything, stepped forward. "You guys go ahead. I'll stay with Misao." With that he placed his large hand on the small of his better half's back and led her inside the dining room. It was practically devoid of students and the personnel had already begun cleaning up for the evening. Aoshi told her to go find a table while he went to get the last scraps of food that remained.

"What happened this time?" he questioned when they were both finally seated and Misao had begun devouring her dinner.

"He accused me of cheating," she muttered irately through a mouthful of rice.

"And what did you do?" Was the flat, if slightly weary, follow up question.

She nearly choked on her food in disbelief. "What, I didn't do anything!"

"Misao."

She sniffed indignantly. "Okay so I might have called him a few names. But he deserved it!"

Aoshi observed her for a few short moments, but left it at that. "Don't do anything stupid," he said simply, sitting up a little straighter in his chair.

Misao could have sworn her chin just about dropped to the floor. "Aoshi! Why are you acting like I'm the bad guy?"

He crossed his arms over his chest, his neutral expression saying it all. "Does 'scaring foreign exchange students with dummies in the public shower' ring any bells?"

"That was ages ago!"Misao cried in defense. "I won't do anything I swear!" But he knew that face. It was the one that clearly stated trouble.

He was going to have to keep a close eye on her for the next few days.

**Author's note:** Well it's been a while. It sucks, but this was the only other chapter that had been edited by my friend so it's all I have for now. Hopefully she'll be able to read more stuff during this weekend (bless her, don't know what I would do without her –probably receive more reviews about my horrible spelling). So that's the story and I'll do what I can to get more stuff done, but I tell you senior year is a pain in the but, to put it lightly.

Adios!

/Tranquil Forest


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